Blood Lust Page 2

  “What?”

  “Your undergarment, that blasted cage beneath your skirts. Take it off.”

  Katherine started to feel sick to her stomach. He did mean to do her personal harm. How could she have been so foolish to think he would not harm her.

  “Here?” She stared at the road that disappeared into the forest.

  “Just do it.”

  “Then turn around, please.”

  “What?”

  “I said turn around. I’m not going to disrobe in front of you.”

  “Good God woman! I’m not asking you to disrobe, just take off that infernal contraption so you can ride in front of me.” When Katherine didn’t move, he turned his horse the other way and stared off toward the woods.

  Perhaps he was telling the truth, maybe he wasn’t. Katherine was not willing to find out. Looking at her captor once more, she lifted her skirts and started running. She wasn’t going to just submit, not when she might be able to escape.

  Night was well upon them. The strip of moon had disappeared behind a cloud, leaving it dark, so she could barely see the ground in front of her feet. She only got a few paces away from him before she heard him cussing and the sound of his heavy boots hitting the dirt. She couldn’t let him catch her.

  Running wildly ahead, pebbles cutting into the bottoms of her slippers, Katherine raced on. She dodged a tree to the right, darted into the darkness off to the left, came into a clearing and ran even faster. Her side was aching, her heart pounding through her ribs.

  As fast as she ran, his thundering footsteps closed the distance. In seconds he was on her, knocking her to the ground, both of them rolling in the dirt. Katherine shrieked as he grabbed her.

  Flat on her stomach beneath his weight, but unhurt.

  “Get off of me!”

  “Damn, hold still woman!” His hands encircled her middle, slid between the waistband of her skirt and the tightly fitting bodice.

  “Let me go!”

  Before she knew it he was off her. She was still fully clothed, and still somewhat dazed as he helped her to her feet, only her bulky whalebone petticoat was gone.

  “It’s time we were away,” he said, “for your friends sake as well as your own. It would be better if we aren’t here when they return.”

  Staring into the fierce dark eyes, Katherine shivered. He might be a man of his word, but an edge of danger surrounded him like a dark cloud. His threats might be subtle, but she didn’t doubt for a moment his ability to carry them out.

  Ignoring the dust that still clung to her clothes and the pins that had fallen from her hair, she walked in front of him back to his horse. Lifting her up on the gelding’s back, he positioned her in front of him, then swung himself up behind her. Against her back, rock hard muscle across his chest, and hardened arms surrounded her to gather the reins.

  A shiver of fear slid through her. The man was even bigger than he had first appeared and she was out here alone with him. Trying not to think of what he might yet have in store for her, Katherine gathered a handful of the geldings course black mane and desperately clung to the saddle.

  In a matter of minutes they had disappeared into the forest, moving faster than seemed possible, the bandit unerringly finding his way in the black, inky darkness. He was a remarkable horseman, she realized, sitting the animal with an easy grace, moving with all the bearing of a nobleman. For the first time, it occurred to her that his speech was that of a gentleman. Katherine wondered where he might have come from, what might have led him down the path of a criminal.

  She wondered what her own fate would be, and if he would remain true to his pledge that he would not harm her.

  Whatever happened, one thing was certain, her wedding was only a few days away. She had no idea what the duke would say to a ransom, or if he would be willing to pay. She had to go through with this marriage. The first chance she had, she would have to escape.

  The tall gelding stumbled and William tightened his hold on the girl he held in front of him. She was petite, but not frail. Her lips were full, her cheeks the color of a ripe peach. Her lush breasts nearly spilled from the top of her gown, the underside brushing against his arm occasionally where he held on to the reins. In their struggle in the dirt, her hair had come loose from its pins and long locks hung past her shoulders.

  The horse eased down a hill, forcing Katherine more firmly against his chest, and his body tightened in response. Damien had warmed him, but his description of the lady hardly did her any justice. Katherine was as tempting as he had ever seen, fiery yet feminine, and he had been trying to easy the hardness that had risen inside his breeches, and inwardly he cursed.

  It had never occurred to him that he would find his brother’s intended so attractive. It was the furthest thought from his mind. Now he found himself thinking what it might be like to bed her.

  He wouldn’t of course. He had done a lot of things in the years since he left England, despicable things just to keep himself alive. He had never harmed a woman through all of it, never taken one against her will. He didn’t mean to start now.

  Beside, easing his lust was hardly important. What mattered was regaining his heritage, taking the first step that would see justice done. The long journey that he hoped would clear his name.

  He felt the girl shiver and reined up long enough to untie his cloak from the back of his saddle and wrap it around her shoulders, then he started off again. At first she held herself away from him, determined to avoid his touch. But the hours made her weary and now she slumped against his chest, her head tucked into his shoulders.

  A pang of guilt slid through him, but it didn’t last long. He would do what he had to. The girl was safe, as he had promised. He was the one who would suffer. She stirred a little and wisps of her long hair brushed his cheek. He could smell her soft perfume. The week would be hellish, but then it would be done. Over the years he had suffered for worse than an unwelcome measure of lust.

  They rode a little further and Damien’s hunting lodge finally appeared. He welcomed its sight. He was ready to get this sleeping woman out of his arms. He reined up in the front of a small two story structure that sat on the edge of a meadow. There was a single bedroom upstairs and an opened-beamed great room with a big rock fireplace which also served as a kitchen.

  The stable boy waited in front. As Damien had promised the boy was capable and loyal to a fault. He would do whatever William asked.

  “Evenin’, my lord.” The boy was perhaps thirteen years old, a sturdy young man. Damien had introduced him to the boy as a duke.

  “See to the horse. I’ll take care of the lady.”

  “Aye,, sir.”

  She awakened when he lifted her down off the horse, stiffened in his arms as he set her on her feet. “Where are we?”

  “A place in the forest. I’ve tried to make it comfortable for you.”

  Her eyes shifted upwards towards his. “You planned this. You meant to take me all along, didn’t you?”

  He would like to take her, he thought, watching the flush creeping over her breasts, but not the way she meant.

  “As I said, I hope you will be comfortable.” He tipped his head toward the lodge. “This way, my lady.”

  With obvious reluctance, she followed him into the house, stopping a moment in the entry, surprised it seemed that the place was so well cared for.

  “Not exactly the sort of place one would associate with an outlaw,” she said.

  “What did you expect? A pathetic room above some seedy tavern?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you.” He started toward the stairs, assuming she would follow.

  “How much will you ask for me?”

  He stopped and turned, “Beg pardon?”

  “The ransom. How much will you ask?”

  He smiled. “How much do you think you’re worth?”

  Not nearly as much as you believe, Katherine thought with a surge of panic. Her safety depended on the coin she wo
uld bring him. She wondered what he would do should he discover how insignificant her worth really was.

  “The duke may not value damaged goods,” she said, thinking of her ruined reputation and the incorrigible pig Benjamin could be. “He’ll have no way of knowing that you haven’t…that you haven’t. . .”

  “That I haven’t what, my lady. That I haven’t ravished you?”

  The heat rose into her cheeks. “I’m telling you he might not be willing to pay.” And her brother certainly couldn’t.

  He simply shrugged his shoulders. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

  Oddly, he didn’t seem overly disturbed at the prospect. In fact nothing he had done seemed to fit one’s usual perception of an outlaw. It should have been comforting. Instead she found it oddly disconcerting, as if something were happening just outside her range of vision, something she couldn’t quite see.

  “There’s a room for you upstairs,” he said, starting to the second floor. “Follow me.”

  She did exactly as he said, dragging her now too long skirts along the way.

  The outlaw must have noticed for a frown crossed his face. When they reached the top of the stairs, he turned and faced her. “Stand still.”

  Katherine shrieked at the glimmering blade he pulled from his black boot, and nearly toppled backward down the stairs. A long arm quickly reacted, barely catching her. The bandit cursed.

  “Good God woman! I told you I’m not going to harm you.”

  She was shaking but she lifted her chin. “That’s a little hard to believe when you’re standing there holding that blade.” She pointed to the knife and he smiled with a hint of malice.

  Bending forward, he caught the hem of her dress and used the knife to cut off a good four inches across the front.

  “Turn around.” Eyeing him warily, she did as he told her and more of the gown fell away. “At least you’ll be able to walk without tripping over that thing.”

  “If you hadn’t practically undressed me. . .”She stopped midsentence to look at his penetrating eyes. Her cheeks heated up and she glanced away. “I gather this is where I am to sleep.”

  “The linens are fresh. I think you’ll find the bed is comfortable.”

  She turned toward the window and for a moment hope flared.

  “Forget it. They’ve all been nailed shut, just in case you get any ideas. I’ll be sleeping downstairs. Behave yourself my lady, and you’ll soon be on your way. You’ll merely be inconvenienced for the next few days.”

  Inconvenienced, she thought. If that were the only consequence she would pay. “As you wish my lord.” She nodded at him.

  He frowned. She hadn’t been sleeping, as he had believed when the boy had address him as a nobleman. She wasn’t going to simply sit by and wait for him, whoever he was to send word to the duke. To hope that Benjamin would pay, to chance missing her wedding to lose her home, to destroy her family and her future. She had to find some means of escape.

  Katherine felt like pacing, but instead she curled up in the middle of the bed unable to sleep. She sat waiting, huddled in the darkness, still dressed in her cumbersome gown, the whalebone stays poking her in her ribs.

  Outside the window the clouds had become thicker and rolling, with the claps of thunder and flashes of lightning.

  It wasn’t the sort of night she would choose for escaping, but every hour she remained only made her situation worse. Though she had no idea where she was, she concluded that if she kept walking that sooner or later she would come to a remote hamlet or cottage where someone would help her. All she had to do was get away.

  How long had she been waiting? Long enough for her captor to have fallen asleep? Upon checking the door, she found it locked. The nailed shut window was her only means of escape.

  Careful to move slow to keep the slats of the bed from creaking, she swung her legs to the floor and stood up slowly, her heart racing now. Gathering up the sheets she had knotted up to form a length of rope. Walking on tip toe she made her way across the room. She paused at the bureau to pick up the make shift hammer, a silver backed brush and comb that had been placed on the table for her.

  She glanced up toward the sky, hoping someone up there would hear her prayer, “I am not good at these things Lord. Please help me succeed.”

  He must have agreed because when she pressed the wad of bed sheets against the pane and carefully cracked it with the back of the hairbrush, the glass cracked neatly. Only one piece fell away noiselessly.

  “Thank you, thank you.” Her hands were shaking. She steadied them as best she could, lifting the shards of glass out piece by piece, then breaking off the wooden strips between the panes as she lifted out the remaining glass. It took longer than she had anticipated. A light rain had started to fall by the time she had the last shard out and had tied the make shift rope to the table leg that sat against the wall under the window.

  Praying that the table and linen would hold her weight, she wriggled through the window and slowly lowered herself to the ground. Her foot wound up in a buddle and she gasped as the icy water filled her slipper.

  Katherine quickly made a assessment of the grounds, trying to decide which way to go. Nothing looked familiar to her. She wished she had been paying more attention on the ride from the carriage. Lifting her damp skirts, Katherine started to run toward the woods.

  William blinked, unable to believe what he was seeing. But the small figure he had seen dangling in front of the window, the one now running toward the woods, would not get away. How had she done it? He had nailed those panes shut himself. She had to have broken the glass, but he hadn’t heard a sound. Now she was running again, heading into what looked to be a rapidly building storm.

  Good God. This woman was definitely a pain in the neck. Working the last button on his breeches, he pulled on his boots and grabbed his cloak, tossing it around his shoulders as he raced out the door. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled a warning. The damn girl had surely picked a foul night to make trouble.

  By the time he crossed the meadow following the direction she had taken, rain pelted down and a fierce wind whipped through the trees. Lightning continued to flash and the rapid echo of thunder said it wasn’t that far away.

  Glancing at the sky, William hurried even faster. Cursing his captive with every breath he took, he raced into the forest. Rain stung his face making him more determined to find her. He caught a flash of her skirts, ducking behind a tree, heading deeper into the woods.

  He started to run as fast as he could, his heart pounding as loud as the thunder. What if she was injured? Or worse yet, killed?”

  William felt a knot in his stomach. He had brought her here, so it was up to him to protect her. He prayed he could keep his word.

  Katherine inhaled deeply, gasping for air. Her legs shook so bad, she thought they would not hold her up. Her hair was a sticky, wet mess that stuck to her shoulders. And her gown was a heavy limp rag that clung to her legs, weighing her down. The storm had worsened so fast. A light rain might have helped her, hidden her tracks from her captor. The storm raged all around her, the fierce winds battered her arms and legs and tore at her hair.

  Dear God, she hadn’t planned on this! Yet she couldn’t go back. The danger was just as real back at the hunting lodge.

  She turned at the crack of thunder, fear running through her spine, then the lightning flashed again. Katherine stood frozen as the bright, yellow spike arched toward her, so near she was sure it would touch her, and a terrified scream tore through her. Twisting away from the flames that erupted among the branches just inches away, she turned to run in the opposite direction, colliding instead with a solid wall of flesh, she screamed again.

  “Damn you, woman.” His arms closed around her, dragging her away from the flames, dragging her to safety. He wrapped her in his cloak and pressed her face against the warmth of his chest. Her body was shaking, but she felt him trembling too. In some strange way she found it comforting. They stood that w
ay for several moments, his chest rising and falling beneath her cheek, his clothes smelling of rain.

  “Please,” she said at last, “you must let me go.” She lifted her eyes toward him, her pulse racing, her breathing ragged. “I have to get back.”

  He shook his head.

  “Please I must get to Sussex Manor. I have to marry the duke.”

  He stiffened at the words, pulling away, a harshness settled into his features. “You can marry whomever you wish, once you’ve returned. Until then you will stay with me.”

  Katherine started to struggle and break free, but his hold on her only tightened. He shook her, forcing her to look up at him. “Listen to me, don’t you know you could have been killed!”

  Before she could answer he lifted her up in his arms and started walking toward the house. She could feel his heart pounding, matching the swift rhythm of her own. Strangely, it occurred to her that this bandit was indeed a very handsome man.

  It didn’t take long to return to the house. Once he did, he kicked the door open and stepped in, setting her on her feet in a spot that quickly puddled with rainwater and mud.

  She was shaking all over, numb with cold, her teeth chattering so much she barely heard the foul oath he swore.

  “Christ woman, how did you think you would survive out there?”

  “If, if it hadn’t started to rain and if it hadn’t turned so cold.”

  He shook his head, mumbling under his breath.

  She lifted her chin. Perhaps leaving as she had was a stupid thing to do. She probably should have planned things better, but she was too upset to think clearly. She clamped down on her teeth in an effort to stop the chattering and looked at the fire, where her captor was stoking the flames. He added more logs and in no time, a warmth embraced the room. Even though it did, soaked to the bone, she continued to shiver.

  “You’ve got to get out of those clothes.” His deep voice rose above the crackle of the fire. Turning away, he took a blanket off the sofa where he had been trying to sleep. “Tomorrow the boy will bring you something dry and clean to wear. Until then, wrap yourself in this.” He handed her the blanket.